The need for an edge pass rusher trumps all the team’s needs including right tackle. In order to animate their 3-4 scheme the 49ers need a monster at the position. If the team can’t trade back I agree with many of you that the choice has to be Brown or Orakpo. With one of those players on one side and Parys Haralson on the other, the team could have a viable pass rush, something that’s been missing since, dare we say, Julian Peterson?

The 49ers have to concentrate on narrowing the disparity in how many sacks or pressures they get to how many sacks or pressures they give up. That’s why a solid right tackle has to be in the picture. Trading down and grabbing two first round picks could satisfy both needs.

The 49ers would be smart to stack up on edge defensive players now because so many teams are converting to a 3-4 defense and those players will become increasingly scarce in the future. Along with Haralson, they still have Jay Moore, a fourth-round choice from Nebraska, who has spent the last two seasons on injured reserve. Unless he makes a sizable improvement, he probably won’t make the team.

The need for a nose tackle isn’t as great. The 49ers were pretty stalwart against the run last year, particularly on the inside and Aubrayo Franklin had a fine season as mainly a one-gap player. The defensive ends played a two-gap more than Franklin did (one gap means the player is only responsible for one space between the offensive linemen, the guard and center for example. Two gap means they’re responsible for the two spaces ahead of them, meaning they have to be stout and make sure runners can’t get through the gaps on either side of them. Two-gapping really slows down a pass rush.

Boston College’s trash-talking B.J. Raji, at 337 pounds, isn’t the man for the 49ers at no. 10 overall. Unlike right tackle and edge rusher, the need at that position isn’t great and the 49ers could find run-pluggers in later rounds including Michigan’s Terrence Taylor, who’s 37 bench presses of 225 pounds led the combine. Kentucky’s Myron Pryor (318) isn’t as big as Raji but he’s a tough hombre who was singled out as the hardest to handle by SEC offensive linemen.

General manager Scot McCloughan likes to trumpet the standard line of saying he’ll always chose the best players available regardless of need. In this draft, the 49ers can’t afford to do that.